Pick Your Own Sunflowers in the Netherlands
There’s something wonderfully joyful about walking into a field of sunflowers in the Dutch countryside. They tower over you with their big yellow heads—and they’re waiting for you to pick your own. Many farms across the Netherlands open their sunflower fields to the public from July to September, with the peak in August, letting you stroll in with scissors or a small knife, and choose the biggest, brightest blooms.
How to pick them:
Go early in the morning or late in the afternoon when the sun isn’t too fierce; cooler temperatures mean less wilting. Look for flowers with fully open, bright yellow petals, while the florets in the centre are still closed or just starting to open—those last longest in the vase. If you’re with kids or friends, make a game of it—who can find the tallest stem? Cut the stem at an angle with sharp scissors, 30–50 cm below the flower head, and pop them straight into a bucket of water. They’ll last much longer that way.
Now that you’ve got them home…
Remove the lower leaves, trim the stems, and arrange a big bunch in a wide-mouthed vase—they look fantastic on a kitchen table. Keep them out of direct sunlight and drafts, change the water daily and trim the stems every couple of days, and they will last 5–10 days. For a playful touch, put one or two in smaller bottles or jars around the house. You can also hang them upside down in a dark, dry place for 1–2 weeks to dry them.
For something a little different, try a sunflower petal salad—scatter the yellow petals over a green salad with goat’s cheese and balsamic. They add a mildly sweet, slightly bitter flavour and a gorgeous pop of colour.
So grab your scissors, head to a farm, and bring home a bunch of sunflowers.